Twilight of the Idols
by Sarcastic Avenger
Summary: Celestia has long watched over ponykind. But now, that the immortal guardians of Equestria have vanished, Twilight Sparkle and her friends are left to pick up the pieces. As conflicts begin rise among the lost ponies of Equestria, the fate of the world rests on the hooves of six ponies, and the friendship that binds them together. But will they stick together in these dark times?


_**Twilight of the Idols**_

Prologue

"I made him just and right/ Sufficient to have stood, though free to fall."  
John Milton

* * *

Nothing made any sense. Not this time. Twilight Sparkle knew Discord was involved; it simply couldn't be a coincidence that he had broken free of his bonds at the same time the Elements of Harmony went missing. "Unngh," she growled as she ran full gallop through the black winter night to gather her friends. "This doesn't make any sense! He's been loose for over a day, but there's no sign of him! No chocolate rain, no roads made of soap, no nothing!"

The strain of trying to talk through her confusion while running wore her down, and by the time she burst into Rarity's house for her first stop, she was panting and out of breath. "Rarity..." she said between ragged breaths, "Elements...gone! Discord!...need...stop..."

Rarity had been hemming a new dress when Twilight staggered into her study. She immediately dropped what she was doing, and rushed over to see what was the matter. "Good heavens, Twilight, you're quite a mess! Sit down and catch your breath, I'll get you a towel and some water—we can't have you catching a cold in this weather."

With scarcely a pause, she thrust Twilight into her leather swivel chair, and dashed off. The chair had barely stopped swiveling by the time Rarity returned, fluffy lavender towel in hand. Still in a daze from the sudden revolution, Twilight was unable to protest Rarity towelling her off.

"Well, I suppose I'll have to fix your mane after I'm done," Rarity said, practically singing at the thought. "You must take better care of your beautiful coat in this snowy weather, Twilight."

"No, you don't understand," Twilight protested, muffled under the towel.

"I'm afraid I do darling,"

"No!" Twilight shouted, shoving Rarity off. "Listen, the Princess needs our help. Discord has escaped, and the Elements are missing."

"Again? Well, why didn't you say so, darling?"

Twilight rolled her eyes. She continued explaining, as she batted away Rarity's attempts to fix the tangled poof that her mane had become. "Princess Celestia just sent me a letter with the news. He's been loose for almost a day, and she thinks he's taken the Elements of Harmony. But the really odd part is that there's nothing out of the ordinary going on. Whatever he's scheming, we need to get the group together and find him."

"You mean...go out there? In that blizzard?"

Twilight sighed heavily. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

They all gathered at the Library, huddling together with hot cocoa near the fire while Twilight explained their predicament. To Twilight's surprise, Rainbow Dash didn't interrupt, though she was the first to comment when the exposition was finished.

"So let me get this straight," the tomboyish pegasus said, "Discord has excaped, but he's _not_ causing trouble? So what's the big deal then? Why can't it wait til' tomorrow morning when, you know, _it isn't cold and dark outside_?"

"I-it's really dark and scary out there," Flutteryshy meekly agreed.

Applejack interrupted: "Now hold yer horses, girls! If the Princess sent Twilight running around this time o' night, then it must be important. If nothing else, we need to form a search party-"

"Oooh, party? I love parties, they're like my favorite thing in the whole darn world but I guess I've never heard of a search party but it sounds like fun don't you agree? Golly, I'd love to try a new type of party, just like trying new cupcakes—ooh my favorite is bubblegum flavored frosting—hey, do you think the Princess would like to try new cupca-"

"Pinkie! Focus!" Twilight shouted, cutting off her hyperactive friend. "I know it's rough, and we don't have a lot to go on, but we have to try."

Rainbow Dash nodded, her hoof over Pinkie's mouth. "I suppose you're right. It is our duty to the Princess, even though the weather is horrible out there."

"Remind me, sugarcube: who exactly is in charge of the weather 'round here?" said Applejack.

"S-shut up!"

Twilight wasted no time rummaging through the bookcase, while her two tomboyish friends scuffled around on the floor. As she shuffled through the shelves, she quietly talked to herself. "Let's see. We just need to figure out where Discord is hiding. I should have a book around here somewhere that can give me a clue."

"Um, Twilight?" Spike interrupted from up in the loft, "Have you tried reading your mail?"

Twilight sighed, preparing to lecture her number one assistant. "Don't be silly Spike, why would a book on the Age of Dissonance be in my mail?"

Spike ran down the stairs, over to the shelving ladder Twilight had perched herself on top of while sorting through the musty old books on the top shelf. He climbed up after her, earning a look of terror from Fluttershy for ignoring the boldly printed "One pony at a time" warning on the ladder. He thrust a rolled up parchment into her face, "Just read it."

She slid down the ladder after Spike, unrolling the the parchment in a purple glow of magic. She cleared her throat before reading it. "Dear Twilight Sparkle: Oh it's so wonderful to write to you, being turned to stone just is dreadfully drab, you see. I thought, to celebrate my release, we could have a bit of fun. So I decided I'd run off with those wonderful little trinkets you and Celestia seem to adore. If you're up for a challenge, come meet me at the castle ruins in the middle of the Everfree Forest. Signed, DisQuord...huh, that's a funny spelling."

There was an uncomfortable silence while the group processed what they'd just heard. Finally, Rarity spoke up, "Well, darling, I'd hate to be someone to make more work for us, but doesn't this sound a little bit too...straight-forward. Especially considering who's involved?"

"That's probably true, but we can't afford not to go," Twilight said, discarding Discord's letter. "Spike, take a letter. Tell Princess Celestia to meet us there. And bring Princess Luna with her as well. We can't take any chances on this one, since it's probably a trap."

"Already on it!" Spike saluted, then scribbled away on the letter.

"Girls, get some warm clothes and traveling gear, and meet back here in twenty. We've got a job to do!"

* * *

Travelling through the Everfree Forest was a daunting task, even in the daytime A cold, moonless night in the dead of winter was a journey through nightmare itself. The six ponies huddled close together as they trudged through the driven snow, shivering under heavy cloaks. Thankfully, the snowfall was little more than a dusting, and the wind was low, so the lanterns they carried could burn a small aura of light and safety in the black night.

As they soldiered on, they would occasionally hear sounds beyond the reach of the lantern's light; an unearthly howl, the rustling of something moving through the thickets just off the path, or even whispering. Each time, they would hurriedly suppress Fluttershy's panicked reaction, douse the lantern light, and huddle together silently in the utter darkness behind one of Twilight's magic barriers. They'd wait, quiet as the grave, listening for any sound of danger, usually for five minutes, but sometimes up to fifteen, before Twilight would declare that the coast was clear.

Naturally, the journey was long and terrifying, as they crossed forests of demons and meadows of monsters. They finally reached the ruins of the castle just before dawn's first light. When they arrived, a pale glow was emanating from the keep's windows and doors. Torches, perhaps. Or maybe even something more sinister. Regardless, it was clearly inhabited, and that meant that this probably wasn't just a wild goose chase.

Rainbow Dash was the first to speak up. "Okay, now what?" she sighed in frustration. They all nodded in agreement: taking on a mad god was the last thing six sleep deprived ponies would want to do.

"I don't know. I guess we improvise, like last time," Twilight replied.

Rarity huffed, "Need I remind you what happened last time?"

"I'm sorry, everypony, but it's not like there's a book on how to deal with a chaos god, bent on wreaking havoc. But if you really want a plan, here's Twilight Sparkles' Super Awesome Plan to Defeat Discord: Step One, get the Elements of Harmony Back. Step Two, turn Discord into stone again." Twilight paused for dramatic effect, "Any questions."

"Nope," the rest of the ponies replied.

"Well, I guess there's no time like the present!" Rainbow Dash shouted, her bravado barely covering up the dread she was feeling, before taking off towards the castle. The rest of the herd followed, galloping towards the open gate.

As they crossed the portcullis, Twilight halted suddenly. "Girls! Stop!" she cried.

The rest skidded to a halt, hooves scraping frost from the stone walkway. Pinkie was the first to reply: "What is it?"

"There's just something wrong about this. I mean, look. Except for the the fact that there's burning torches lighting up the place, it's absolutely no different from the last time we were here." Twilight paced uncomfortably as she laid out her concerns, occasionally stopping to paw at the ground nervously. "Besides those torches, there's literally no sign that anypony's been here, let alone Discord. At all. Not a single hoof print in the snow except our own. This feels like a trap."

"Sure, I know it seems strange, but what choice do we have?" Apple jack drawled, shivering under her cloak. "I'm all for continuing cautiously, but we can't tarry too long."

"And what about the princesses?" Rarity remarked, looking uneasily up at the moonless sky. "Shouldn't they have met us here? They could travel far faster than we could hope to, and they aren't here!"

"Do you think they went in ahead of us?" Fluttershy replied.

Twilight nodded hopefully, and began trotting forward, "Even if it is a trap, I guess we have to spring it. Everypony, please be careful!"

She cautiously probed forward, occasionally poking a suspicious floorstone, or statue, to make sure it wasn't some sort of trap mechanism like out of one of the Daring Doo books. Sensing no immediate danger, she nodded, and the rest of the herd moved forward. As they crossed into the vestibule, the portcullis suddenly slammed downward with a loud clang, and the great iron banded oak doors of the keep swung shut, all on their own.

Fluttershy let out a squeak, hiding behind Rainbow Dash. Applejack huffed angrily, and bucked at the keep's great door with all her might. But for all her practiced strength, the massive doors scarcely budged, as though they were barred from the other side. "Ah tarnation!" she shouted, kicking the door again, more out of frustration than anything.

"Save your strength!" Twilight cried, "I can feel a powerful abjuration spell on the door…it has the same feel as Discord's other magic. I'd venture that he's waiting for us, and he wants us to move forward and confront him."

"What about the windows?" Rainbow Dash asked. She hovered up to an open window, cautiously placing a hoof forward to see if she could reach through the opening. Instead, her hoof met an invisible barrier. "Ah, horseapples!"

"Ladies, it appears that the only way is forward," Rarity said, pressing forward with _élan_ more typical of the French Foreign Legion than a fashion designer. "_Camarades_, I believe the great hall is this way!"

Twilight smiled, in spite of the grave situation. She and her friends weren't a group of scared fillies anymore. They had found the courage to move forward, even in the face of great danger, when duty called.

And so they marched on, past the vestibule, through a small labyrinth of defensive passages, into the great hall. It was brightly lit, with blazing torches ringing the entire room, and burning candles in the chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. But aside from the stained glass windows, and the burning lights, it was seemingly empty.

Twilight huffed with frustration. Where was Discord? Why was he leading them along by the nose like this. Then she noticed a glimmer from the far end of the great hall, on the throne dais. Could it be…yes! The Elements of Harmony, shining in the golden light of the torches, were neatly arranged on the dais, waiting to be recovered.

"Something isn't right," Applejack muttered.

Twilight bolted off towards the dais anyway. If there was even the smallest chance that Discord had made a mistake, leaving the Elements unattended at the wrong moment, she had to take it.

"Wait, Twilight, don't!" Rarity shouted to no avail. Twilight galloped onwards to the prize. This could be settled once and for all.

But when she got within an arms' length of the dais, the room itself began to stretch around her. Space warped, stretching the last few inches before she could reach the Elements onward and onward. Twilight doubled her efforts, and poured all of her strength into galloping as fast as she could, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get any closer. She'd been tricked.

Space suddenly snapped back like a rubber band, catapulting Twilight back across the great hall, knocking over her friends like bowling pins. Twilight was seeing stars, but she still dizzily drug herself back on her hooves, wobbling back and forth as she tried to steady herself.

There was a bright flash of light directly in front of her, followed by a thunderclap. Discord stood directly in front of Twilight, smirking maniacally. "Oh, Twilight!" he gushed, "Did you really think I'd make it that easy?"

The six ponies collected themselves as best they could and formed up on Twilight with hoof and horn ready to fight. "What did you do with the princesses?" Rainbow Dash demanded, scratching the ground anxiously with her hoof, preparing to charge.

"Oh, they're around. And I must say, it took quite a bit of effort to subdue them. But don't worry your pretty little heads about them; I have them tucked away safely in my knick-knack drawer." Discord's bones popped menacingly as he stretched his limbs and neck. "Oh I must say, being frozen in place for that long is quite agonizing. _Perhaps I'll treat you to it!_"

As he flexed, the world around him seemed to bend. Twilight Sparkle swallowed hard. This was going to be quite the fight, and there wouldn't be any easy way around it. Discord was angry, and as dangerous as a wounded manticore. This time, there would be no thorn to pull out of the paw. "Anypony have any bright ideas?" she asked, shifting nervously.

"Ooh! Ooh!" Pinkie cried, bouncing up and down with nervous energy. "I've got a plan! Ready?"

They all nodded.

"Ready?"

They nodded again, a bit frustrated.

"Get him!" she cried, charging towards Discord with reckless abandon. Rainbow Dash and Applejack didn't need to be told twice; they followed after without hesitation. Rarity and Twilight soon followed, while Fluttershy took up the rear.

Rarity's horn glowed softly for a second, followed by a brilliant flash of light brighter than the midday sun. Discord's hastily donned sunglasses protected him from being dazed. "I wear my sunglasses at night," he tunelessly sang, as he started to fumble around in the dark for the ponies charging at him.

Twilight enchanted the lengths of chain holding a chandelier above Discord. They strained under the violet glow of her magic, and soon pulled free from the ceiling. The chandelier fell, guided by Twilight's magic, striking Discord over the head, sliding down his body like a hoop. Twilight quickly wrapped the chains round him, binding his arms and legs before welding them together, tightly shackling the mad god.

Pinkie rushed forward, grabbing both of his legs tightly. Applejack then delivered the mightiest kick she'd ever kicked, square to his kneecaps. His legs started to buckle, and he tried to struggle against, but Pinkie held him firmly in place.

Rainbow Dash circled him, beating her wings as hard as she could to build up speed, before crashing square into his chest. He doubled over, collapsing onto his back, while the five ponies mobbed him, trying to subdue him.

Discord let out a great roar. The chains holding glowed with magic for a moment, before the iron links turned into gummy worms. The chandelier frayed into thousands of hay strands. Before they could react, a wave of dark energy hit them. Like a great torrent, it hurled the five of them to the far wall of the great all, dashing them against the hard stone. The red miasma of dark magic coiled around them, paralyzing them.

Twilight tried resisting the coils of magic, but each movement was pure agony. She could hear some muffled sobbing, and Rainbow Dash muttering "Ah, horse apples."

Rarity tried resisting the magic with her own, to some success. She wrestled with the tendrils. As she finally started to get the upperhand, she cried, "'Get him!' That was your whole plan, huh?"

"Hey, it would have worked too, if—"

"Now's really not the time, girls!" Applejack shouted, as she struggled against the magical strands that were hogtying her.

"Oh my little ponies," Discord mused, as he got up, brushing off the pair of parachute pants he was suddenly wearing. "You should know that you can't touch this." He stalked towards his helpless opponents while they continued to struggle against his magic. "Hmm… I could have sworn there were six of you…"

A yellow and pink blur whizzed past him, stopping between him and the five helpless ponies. She stared back at Discord as angrily as she could, clutching the Elements of Harmony close to her. She was panting and out of breath, but she still managed to shout, "Leave them alone!"

The six artifacts she was clutching tightly started glowing, while Discord summoned all his strength to not whither under Fluttershy's stare.

The bright light from the Elements started to dissolve the red magic coils on the other five. They quickly jumped to Fluttershy's side, each pony's artifact levitating towards her. The artifacts continued to gather magical energy, and with each pulse of bright light from them, Discord unconsciously took a step back.

"Looks like you underestimated the magic of friendship, _again_," Twilight taunted.

"Oh well. Looks like you got me again. You may fire when ready, Gridley," Discord muttered sheepishly, as a blindfold popped into existence over his eyes, along with a lit cigarette in his mouth.

The six ponies began lifting into the air, as the nexus of energy continued to build. Just when it was about to fire, an awful sensation of dread, mixed with nervous skin crawling, washed over Twilight. Something…something was wrong. She felt the crown on her forehead crack.

Her heart sank. The musical tone of the magic was marred with a terrible dissonant chord, turning into a cacophony of ugliness. The energy buildup began boiling out of control, writhing with chaos. And then all six of the elements shattered.

A blinding wave of incredible power exploded outwards from the six ponies, nearly leveling the building. It shattered all of the stain glass windows, and blew out the torches as if they were mere matches, before it spread across the Everfree Forest, shattering whole stands of the forest into kindling.

The castle shook with the tremendous release, the walls buckling under the strain. The remaining chandeliers all fell, smashing into the stone floor like iron meteors. The six ponies, though, were dazed but otherwise unhurt. Well, not physically hurt. Twilight could swear that she felt her heart break when the Elements shattered. She felt empty inside as she struggled to stand, still woozy from the experience.

No, that wasn't it, she realized as her head began to clear. The ground was still shaking.

"W-what's going on?" Pinkie cried in terror, as the castle started to shake itself to pieces. She dodged a falling stone block, as the ceiling of the great hall started to cave in.

Twilight cast a shield around herself and her friends, as they huddled close. They watched the stone rain bounce of Twilight's shield for what seemed like hours, as Twilight poured every last ounce of strength she could into the barrier. Finally, the collapse finished. But the shaking remained.

The tapestry of the sky was boiling, with stars winking in and out of view. The sun and moon were locked in place, frozen just above the horizon.

Discord moved closer to the six petrified ponies, lording over them with a sadistic grin. "Looks like I win this time. Chaos reigns, and there's nothing you ponies can do about it."

"B-but how… the Elements…they should have—" Twilight tried to stammer out, before Discord cut her off.

"The Elements," he laughed, "Were corrupted with Chaos by yours truly. And really, you should have seen the look on your faces when you realized that your _deus ex machina_ wouldn't save you this time. Honestly, it was priceless. Almost worth being locked away in stone for a millennia. And guess what's the best part? This is my world now!"

His world. Such a strange idea. But he was wrong; Twilight could feel it in her gut. The stars were falling towards Equestria, impacting in great craters all around them. Mountains were falling will fire from the depths of the world shout out from the ground in great jets. The lakes and streams nearby were boiling, and the earthquakes continued to intensify.

"Your world?" Twilight shot back angrily. She poked him in the belly with her horn. "Look around you, you fool! This world is destroying itself!"

"Yes! Exhilarating, isn't it?"

Twilight was shocked. They all were shocked. No one, not even her, had expected the Discord would stoop so low, that he could be this malevolent.

"The chaos is delicious, isn't it? And best of all: I win! And nopony can stop me."

Just when she was about to despair, Twilight heard a familiar voice. "Care to make a bet on that?" Two sets of chains started coiling around Discord, to his shock and surprise. One set was blinding white, wreathed in orange flames. The other was pitch black, surrounded by dark blue shadows. They cinched tight around him, padlocking together.

Princess Celestia hovered down in front of Discord, placing herself between her terrified student and the bewildered chaos god. "What? Pony got your tongue?" she mocked him.

Twilight rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't just seeing things. It was Celestia, alright. But she looked different. Her once pastel mane and tail were now roaring orange-red flames, as bright as the sun. The feathers of her wings were now golden and metallic, and as sharp as a razor on the edge. It matched the old gold color of her coat. She also wore armor: a glistening gold helm and breastplate.

Each beat of her wings blasted the room with burning hot air. And for the first time, Twilight saw abject terror in Discord's eyes. And unbridled rage in her mentor's.

A shadowy alicorn touched down behind Discord. For a moment, Twilight feared that it was Nightmare Moon. But the shadowy alicorn didn't glare or sneer at her. Instead, she smiled at Twilight, setting her at ease.

"B-but—" Discord stammered.

Celestia cut him off sternly. "I suppose you're wondering just what's going on. After all, you thought you had my sister and I under lock and key. Well, here's a little secret," she said in almost a whisper, directly into his ear.

"The Elements were made with alicorn magic, asshole!" She shouted at the top of her lungs directly into his ear. "And when you destroyed them, the magic that created them returned to us! You might have been able to deal with me when most of my power was poured into the Elements of Harmony. But now that you've decided to tangle with this alicorn, you get the horns!"

"Sister, what shall we do with him?" Luna said, clipped and regal as always. "Whatever it is, decide quickly. The skein of this planet's life is running short."

Celestia's horn burned with white-hot light. The glow spread to Discord, and though he struggled against his chains to resist it, he was powerless before her wrath. Then he disappeared in a blaze of blinding lightning, as gone as the thunder. With his disappearance, the chaos unleashed upon Equestria dulled slightly, but nonetheless continued. The world was still coming about at the seams.

"Where did you he go?" Twilight asked, still intimidated by Celestia's new form.

"Don't be frightened, my little ponies," Celestia cooed. She tried her best to look as unintimidating as is possible for a terrifying sun goddess. Celestia smiled warmly at Twilight and her friends. "Discord has been banished far beyond the stars. But, I'm afraid that our troubles are not over."

"I don't understand, Princess. If he's gone, then why hasn't this madness stopped?" As if to punctuate her words, a mountain on the horizon uprooted from the earth, levitating upwards before shaking apart.

"Discord wasn't the cause of this damage. We are. My sister and I, that is."

It just didn't compute. Twilight fell to her haunches, dumbfounded. "W-what?" was all she could manage. There were gasps of shock from the other ponies, and mutterings of disbelief.

"I don't have time to explain fully. The Elements of Harmony were created by the six of us to bring balance to this world," Celestia replied with melancholy, as if she were dredging up old memories she'd have rather forgotten.

"I-I don't understand. Six of you?"

"Just listen, Twilight! We've already stayed too long as it is!" Luna interrupted.

"The Elements of Harmony," Celestia continued, "were forged from our magic and life force. They were made to strengthen and harmonize the weave of this plane. Without their power, our magic was simply too great. It upends the fabric of the universe, tearing it apart. Doubly so when we are at full power. This world cannot support us. We destroy it by our very presence. We have no means to rebuild them. Not just Luna and I."

"Which is why we must leave you, and this realm, Twilight Sparkle," Luna interjected. "It pains me greatly. I was only just getting to now thee. Thy friends have brought magic back into my life. You have reminded me of what I fought to protect so long ago, and had forgotten. But for your sakes, we must leave."

"Leave? But you…you can't! I still have so much to learn. I-I'm not ready to lose you," Twilight cried, the tears streaming down her cheeks.

Rainbow Dash fought back the tears. Celestia had _always _been there. She'd been there when her grandmother was a filly, and until this moment, Rainbow Dash assumed she'd still be watching over Equestria long after her own death. But now there would be no one to watch over her. Or anyone else. "How do we go on. We'll be alone, lost without you!"

Rarity nodded in silent agreement. Fluttershy comforted Pinkie as best as she could, but they were basically both crying into each other's shoulders.

"I think I understand," Applejack remarked. "But I wish it didn't have to be this way."

"We all do," said Twilight.

"I know," Celestia replied, tearing up as well. "But I'll always be with you, in your hearts. I love you all. And that's why we have to leave. But we'll be as near as we can be."

A scintillating blue portal opened. Twilight tried to see what was beyond the event horizon, but it was just incomprehensible, like staring into an endless void of everything and nothing. Tears were streaming down Celestia's cheek as she started to step through. "Will I ever see you again?" Twilight called out.

"I don't know, Twlight. But I will try with every ounce of my strength to make it happen. G-Goodbye…" The word almost stuck in her throat. But she managed to say it, because it had to be said, not because it was easy to say. And then she was gone.

"Twilight Sparkle," Luna said as she stepped to the portal. "I'm going to miss thee. But unfortunately, I must leave thee with bad news. And a task. I will not lie: our absence will not bode well for ponykind. I do not envy the times you all shall be living in. Thy friends will bear the burden with thee, but it will not be easy.

"Ponies have long lived in the shadow of an immortal god-empress. Though they may not call her that yet, that is what my sister has been for them for over a thousand years. Though she has let them manage their own affairs as much as possible, ponies have always known that an immortal, all-seeing mother was watching over them, waiting to set them right if they failed. But now we are gone, and all the ponies: earth pony, pegasus and unicorn alike, have been abandoned to their freedom. They will not take the transition well. Please! Help your friends, and your people, through these dark times. Growing out of your infancy will not be easy.

"Oh, and one more item: In our private quarters in the Canterlot palace, thou shall find everything needed to understand the history Celestia spoke of. And maybe, if we're lucky, a means for us to one day return. Fare thee well, friend."

Luna stepped through the portal, barely hiding her own tears. The portal closed, and the madness around them stopped. And then, for the first time in anyone's life, the sun rose on its own. But the heart of the world had been removed.


End file.
